The owners of the La Tulipe auditorium, which has been installed in Gilles LaTulip’s former Variety Theater on Papineau Street in Montreal for nearly 20 years, are facing a request for an injunction “that could lead to the building being closed unconditionally,” they say.
La Tribu issued a press release late Tuesday afternoon, saying it was “at the end of its strength and resources” in the face of a two-year situation, when the building next to La Tulipe, which was the property of Gilles Latulipe’s son, was bought by a new owner. .
The press release states that these “former warehouses of Gilles Latulip, and immediately adjacent to the performance hall theatre,” have been converted by the new neighbor “into a living quarters.” The press release asserts that the City of Montreal “mistakenly allowed the conversion of a commercial space into a residential space.”
Because the neighbor regularly complains about the noise from the hall, La Tribu claims it spent “a fortune in fees of all kinds to defend itself”, after “dozens of police visits, some accompanied by threats and tickets”.
After being contacted by phone in the evening, Claude Larivy, La Tribu’s senior president, explained to us that he had decided to speak out because the La Tulipe team was at “the end of the list”. “This weekend, two police raids during Duma shows, it was the landing that made the ice cream overflow.”
The singer also commented on the situation via Twitter in the evening. “A fine of $1,000 per performance at La Tulipe last Thursday and Friday. The police came to clap my sound system on my shoulder. We got several tickets for daily rehearsals also in the fall of 2021. Surreal!”
For nearly two years, while the hall, as we must remember, was mostly closed due to an epidemic, the police were called “almost systematically”, even at “uninflated events, even in broad daylight”. Interventions ranged from a simple warning to Threats and fines: “I don’t have the exact number, but it’s more than twenty times,” said Claude Larvey.
Rules
The city regulation clearly states that “it is forbidden to change a commercial space into a residential space any space adjacent to an exhibition hall or a pub,” recalls Claude Larvey. This regulation was in place when the building was purchased two years ago.
We had discussions with the people in the city, both administratively and politically, and the error was admitted. An official notice was sent by the city to the owner, stating this situation. But time is running out, and we are now faced with a situation that could have a tragic end. ”
The tribe will already find itself in court during the week of December 21, facing a “noisy court order” that Claude Larvier cannot predict.
Since the solutions are not numerous, given that the La Tulipe building is classified as heritage by Quebec, it also identifies the head of La Tribu.
“It can’t have a job other than a scene. You can’t become a promoter, turn into a pharmacy or an apartment. Such is the absurdity of the situation! It’s a showroom that’s been around since 1913, we’ve been in it for over 20 years, and for two years we found ourselves guilty of publishing the culture. ”
Therefore, Claude Larvier is publicly calling out Mayor Valerie Plante and Mayor of Plateau-Mont-Royal Plateau, Luc Reboin, who claims to have already spoken to him directly about the situation. He asks them to “put an end to this Kafkaesque cycle”.
“If necessary, Hat will bear this closure due to a fatal error by the municipal administration and your standstill on file,” reads the press release sent by La Treebo.
“When we talk to the city, we’re told that no tulip is the priority,” says Claude Larvier. I resumed approaching the owner, because he should not be there. But that does not prevent it from taking its course, as we approach midnight. We haven’t heard from the city for several months. We are at the end of our resources. ”
We were unable to reach Borough Mayor Luc Rabouin by phone, but he responded on Twitter.
“No Tulip Theater is here to stay. The cultural vitality of the plateau is an asset that must be preserved. We have had several discussions with the owners, and are closely monitoring the ongoing legal proceedings between the private parties. A solution will appear. ”
During a “normal” year, that is, without a pandemic, La Tulipe offers between 150 and 200 events.